6 d. ago Parallel Lines by Edward St Aubyn review – troubled minds and family mysteries

The Patrick Melrose author brings his trademark dark wit and flinty compassion to this wide-ranging sequelEdward St Aubyn’s previous novel, 2021’s Double Blind, was something of a challenge even for his devotees. Leaving aside the usual gripe that he is never quite as compelling without the shield of his authorial alter ego Patrick Melrose, the obsessive nature of the book’s inquiry into bioethics, narcosis, psychotherapy, oncology, venture capitalism and inheritance made too heady a cocktail to be more than sipped, a few pages at a time. I struggled with it until the very last scene, a charity bash where a schizophrenic young man takes his first terrified steps in employment as a waiter and happens upon a woman who, unknown to both, is intimately related to him. Their chance encounter was intensely moving and tautly suspenseful – you felt an immediate longing to know what would befall them.That longing is now answered in Parallel Lines, which picks up the narrative five years later...

Events

9 d. ago Why Virginia Giuffre fled the United States for a tiny town in Australia with a population of less than 300 people

Just weeks after a string of mysterious social media posts, Virginia Giuffre's family confirmed on Friday that she had died by suicide in the tiny town of Neergabby, north of Perth.

Politics

1 week ago Concerns over regeneration causing 'irreversible damage' to London's markets and railway arches

London Assembly warns mayor Sadiq Khan to ‘ensure regeneration enhances, rather than erodes, the social fabric of our city’

Events

1 week ago Brazilian meat company and a mysterious family trust among the top donors to Trump’s $239m inauguration

More than a dozen donors who gave at least $1 million to Trump’s inauguration also donated to the Biden inaugural committee

Politics

1 week ago Sharon Osbourne, 72, mysteriously cancels her entire talk show tour at the last minute due to 'family issue'

The music mogul, 72, was due to head to Scandinavia this week for a series of four shows called Cut The Crap.

Society

2 w. ago Neirud review – a mysterious family relationship that unravels Brazil’s complex social fabric

Film-maker Fernanda Faya weaves together a loving homage to her circus performer grandmother and her elusive companionBuried secrets bubble to the surface in Brazilian film-maker Fernanda Faya’s tender and searching documentary, which seeks to disentangle the hidden knots of her fascinating family tree. The film opens with lovingly recorded home videos of various gatherings, including her childhood birthday celebrations, the only time of the year when her paternal grandmother, Nelly, would visit. A formidable woman of Roma ancestry, Nelly came from a long line of skilled circus performers, an illustrious ancestry that ended when Faya’s father did not join the family business.One particular aspect long eluded Faya: Nelly was always seen with woman called Neirud, whom Faya called aunt, but their actual relationship was a mystery; when Neirud died, her house was emptied of all personal photos and keepsakes. Through meticulous research, Faya gradually uncovered Neirud’s story. A Black w...

Politics

4 w. ago Family beg for an end as 50 Amazon dresses they never ordered are delivered to their home

David Lopez's family said they have been receiving mysterious packages from Amazon since January which they never ordered - and they fear fraud might be at play

Society